With Lewis only needing 9 points now (possibly less if Vettel fails to win all races)Do you think either Mercedes or Lewis will change their approach to the next race?

For example running the engine in a lower power mode ?On track I guess it’s a bit more difficult as if an overtake is there - Lewis will probably go for it as opposed to trailing behind a slower car for 20 or 30 laps .

Could there be a scenario where he’s running 2nd or 3rd on worn tyres and being chased down that they would do an extra pit stop to bring him back out in 4th or 5th.

In any endeavor, if you change your game plan you risk losing the plot. At this moment Mercedes have won the Manufacturer's Constructor's Championship, and have one driver on the cusp of winning a WDC. So they have obviously found the sweet spot between reliability and pushing to hard, and are sitting pretty.

All that remains for Mercedes to sweep the competition is for Bottas to secure second in the WDC chase. If Mercedes give Vettel enough room, he will secure that. So drop the pretenses, and go for it, put the pressure on Vettel and turn the cars loose. Right now Mercedes have everything to gain and nothing to lose by going to the maximum.

If anything, if Ferrari are not as quick as Mercedes in all 3 races, Hamilton could help Bottas get 2nd in the drivers championship. If Ferrari or Red bull clearly are not as quick as I said, I do think this is what Mercedes would want. A 1 - 2 finish for their drivers.

Hamilton's interviews yesterday after the race showed he really enjoyed the wheel to wheel racing he had with Vettel. He even said he wished Vettel undercut to have worked so he could have more racing with him. I remember in the beginning of the season how he was kind of jubilant having Ferrari and Vettel as close competitors for the season.

I won't be surprised if Lewis drops pole in the remaining races so that he can have some wheel to wheel.

Hamilton's interviews yesterday after the race showed he really enjoyed the wheel to wheel racing he had with Vettel. He even said he wished Vettel undercut to have worked so he could have more racing with him. I remember in the beginning of the season how he was kind of jubilant having Ferrari and Vettel as close competitors for the season.

I won't be surprised if Lewis drops pole in the remaining races so that he can have some wheel to wheel.

I think you only do that after the title is secured, also why would he want to give away pole positions, he has already stated he wants to maximise his career stats.

Hamilton's interviews yesterday after the race showed he really enjoyed the wheel to wheel racing he had with Vettel. He even said he wished Vettel undercut to have worked so he could have more racing with him. I remember in the beginning of the season how he was kind of jubilant having Ferrari and Vettel as close competitors for the season.

I won't be surprised if Lewis drops pole in the remaining races so that he can have some wheel to wheel.

I think you only do that after the title is secured, also why would he want to give away pole positions, he has already stated he wants to maximise his career stats.

Exactly, if he wants the challenge he can just get pole but then let Vettel lead into turn 1.

However, he's now set his sights on passing 91 wins (which given he has averaged 10 wins a season for the last 4 seasons, means that at that rate he will surpass it in 2020) so I don't see him giving up race wins either.

As he only needs a 5th place finish in one of the remaining 3 races he can afford to take risks now. In fact, Vettel can only afford one non win if Hamilton has three DNFs. I fully expect Hamilton to go for it in all remaining races. His eyes are now on collecting as many victories as he can.

If Ham finds himself in a position where a win is possible but not guaranteed in the second half of the race and he's behind, they will do the sensible thing and shut it down and secure both Championships. They will then go all out for the final two races provided they accomplish that mission in Mexico. It's OK to let one go. It's just one.

If Ham finds himself in a position where a win is possible but not guaranteed in the second half of the race and he's behind, they will do the sensible thing and shut it down and secure both Championships. They will then go all out for the final two races provided they accomplish that mission in Mexico. It's OK to let one go. It's just one.

Hamilton will race Mexico to win the race all out, if he DNFs in Mexico and Vettel wins then I suspect he will play it safe the next race. But the safest way to win a race is from the front anyway.

The field spread is huge too, he needs a 5th place. We have 6 cars in a League of there own. Take Bottas out of that equation and that is a very easy 5th place. The Force India/Renault is 1.5-2.0 seconds a lap slower.

Vettel needs 1-1-2 at very minimum and that is Hamilton DNFing all three races. I would put Vettel championship chance at around 1-2% at most.

Judging from the comments from Lewis and knowing how Merc operate they are not going to take their foot off the gas. They are going to maximize everything. Go for the poles, go for 1-2s, go for the 3 wins. This doesn't mean that they are going to win all three, because as we've seen their car does not work as well at certain tracks, but they are going to go for it. Rest assured.

Mexico should suit Ferrari but other 2 tracks Mercedes will be strong. I think they can take the penalty to be safe lol. There is a good chance Hamilton will take Pole in at least 2 races and win one of them at least.

Hamilton is in a good place engine mileage and engine stress wise. He was still using Engine 1 during free practise in the USA (7 months on from Australia). Engine's 3 and 4 will have lower mileage requirements than the first 2 engines. Since engines 3 and 4 have been introduced they are yet to be run on the Friday. Engine 2 was also used for the Singapore GP from which point it has been relegated to practise only now I believe.

Engine 1 for Hamilton has been a work horse. It did the entirety of the first 6 weekends and has since done 4-5 FP1's and FP2's. That is close to being on target to meeting the FIA's 3 engines per season rule.

2 dnfs + 1 loss to a Vettel win can still swing the title, so I think they'll play it safe for 1 race at least.

Hamilton only needs to finish 5th in one of the remaining races. If Vettel wins all three remaining races then Hamilton could DNF the next two races and then follow both Ferraris and both Red Bulls home in Abu Dhabi and he would be WDC.

Vettel can only be champion now with three wins or two wins and a second. If Vettel finishes third in the next race then Hamilton is WDC with three DNFs.

It's not in Hamilton's demeanor to drop his guard. s far as I know him, he would love to win all the 3 races.

To be fair he did drop his guard a little in 2015 after everything was all sewned up. But he is a different driver this year. He seems to be enjoying the racing a whole lot more for whatever reason and you just know he will be on it all the way. I think it is the main reason for his form too.

2 dnfs + 1 loss to a Vettel win can still swing the title, so I think they'll play it safe for 1 race at least.

Hamilton only needs to finish 5th in one of the remaining races. If Vettel wins all three remaining races then Hamilton could DNF the next two races and then follow both Ferraris and both Red Bulls home in Abu Dhabi and he would be WDC.

Vettel can only be champion now with three wins or two wins and a second. If Vettel finishes third in the next race then Hamilton is WDC with three DNFs.

I wonder when, if ever, Hamilton has gone 3 races without scraping together the points for an equivalent 5th place? Maybe 2009?

Other than that, there was indeed a longer stretch in 2009 as you thought: between Spain and Germany, a period of 5 races, he didn't finish higher than 9th and scored no points.

Those two are the only times in his career he's come up with fewer than 40% of a race win in points over three consecutive races. The 2012 scenario is far more likely to happen, but the odds are very much against either.

Hamilton is in a good place engine mileage and engine stress wise. He was still using Engine 1 during free practise in the USA (7 months on from Australia). Engine's 3 and 4 will have lower mileage requirements than the first 2 engines. Since engines 3 and 4 have been introduced they are yet to be run on the Friday. Engine 2 was also used for the Singapore GP from which point it has been relegated to practise only now I believe.

Engine 1 for Hamilton has been a work horse. It did the entirety of the first 6 weekends and has since done 4-5 FP1's and FP2's. That is close to being on target to meeting the FIA's 3 engines per season rule.

With no pressure on him now, he is more likely to win than usual. He does not have to take 50/50's or long shots, but Ferrari do, and are more likely to drop the ball because of it. This goes even to the extent of them not being 100% for an engines reliability. There is no stress to risk it as even starting from the back he is probably going to be in the top 6 come the end.

It's not in Hamilton's demeanor to drop his guard. s far as I know him, he would love to win all the 3 races.

To be fair he did drop his guard a little in 2015 after everything was all sewned up. But he is a different driver this year. He seems to be enjoying the racing a whole lot more for whatever reason and you just know he will be on it all the way. I think it is the main reason for his form too.

Yep and his guard was still dropped for the first part of the 2016 season, so confident he was in beating Rosberg.

I think losing the 2016 title was a wake up call for him, he seems more focused than I can remember, he even volunteered to test next years Pirelli tyres and we all know he tends to avoid tests like the plague.

Hamilton will keep pushing until he clinches the title, then he will back off. He does enjoy the fight though. Unfortunately, no one can really challenge him unless Ferrari have magically improved their second rate car from Austin to Mexico.

Appreciate that he wants to win the race - but what I will say is that it would be foolish to try a risky overtake or fight too hard if he's about to be overtaken himself.He has to remember what happened in 2007 in China with that senseless fight with Kimi on track before the Gravel Trap incident a few laps later.His maturity & ability to not fight against Max in Malaysia - should ensure that such a thing wont happen again

Hamilton will keep pushing until he clinches the title, then he will back off. He does enjoy the fight though. Unfortunately, no one can really challenge him unless Ferrari have magically improved their second rate car from Austin to Mexico.